29 July saw a meeting reflecting on shared practice, the changing landscape facing young people, and exchanging skills, knowledge and opportunities.
🕒 Estimated read time: 6 minutes
Action for Race Equality, funded by Comic Relief and partners’ Global Majority Fund, runs a year-long programme supporting small organisations and entrepreneurs to improve employability outcomes for young Black, Asian and Mixed-heritage people.
We are now halfway through the delivery and have provided small grants to 6 organisations and 5 entrepreneurs across the programme. So how have things gone to date?
Last week, our most recent learning session at our London office brought together the cohort to share practice, explore the changing landscape facing young people, and exchange skills, knowledge and opportunities.
The fund focuses on improving employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people, while piloting the use of new, technology-led approaches to job searching, skills development and employability support, recognising that traditional methods no longer match how young people engage with work opportunities.
Key themes covered included building young people’s confidence, resilience, and hope; supporting young people to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world; and ensuring youth voice remains at the heart of decision-making.
As one participant reflected,
‘We have expertise in youth work, employment, entrepreneurship, and putting youth voice at the heart of decision making. ARE’s networks have been valuable to building as an organisation.‘
Participants also reflected on the growing influence of AI and technology, the importance of meaningful in-person connections, and the evolving role of youth workers in supporting young people.
The session included a valuable peer exchange, where organisations shared their expertise across youth engagement, social enterprise, funding, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), trauma-informed practice, social media, and employer partnerships, while identifying opportunities for greater collaboration and collective influence.
One participant highlighted that
‘there is opportunity across Action for Race Equality to bring everyone together to have more power to influence and lobby collectively.‘
The discussion also highlighted barriers facing young people, including changing labour markets, rising costs of living, unequal access to opportunities, and AI being used as a friend and therapist. Participants called for more flexible, sustainable funding, stronger employer partnerships, and greater representation of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage communities in policy and decision-making spaces.
The challenges facing young people cannot be tackled by the youth sector alone. We encourage funders, employers and policymakers to work alongside grassroots organisations, invest in long-term solutions, and help create more accessible pathways to opportunity for young people from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage communities.
Follow Action for Race Equality to stay updated on the work of our cohort and the innovative approaches being tested to improve outcomes for young people.
We look forward to sharing more insights and learning as the programme progresses.
For any media or general enquiries please email: Hello@actionforraceequality.org.uk